Weight, height and puberty in a cohort of Macedonian girls

Abstract

Obesity is becoming a growing problem in developed and developing countries. Many studies report an increasing incidence of obesity in the last decade. The aim of our transversal epidemiological study was to evaluate the prevalence of overweight children, auxological characteristics and pubertal stage in healthy girls from first (200 girls), third (209), fifth (290) and seventh (223) grade of school. In this study 928 girls were evaluated through systematic school examinations in the ambulance of municipality of Karposh, Skopje. The Rome and Turkish nationality, as well as Serbian were present in a small percentage, while detailed analysis was performed in the Macedonian and Albanian population of girls. The initiation of puberty (stage M2 or P2 by Tanner) was present in Macedonian girls: 4,3% of children in first grade, 23% in third grade, and 51,7% in fifth grade. In Albanians, in first grade M2 is present in 2,7%, in third grade 5,2%, and in fifth grade 46,9%. Body mass index (BMI SDS) was +3,5 ± 1,5 in 35% of Macedonian girls and only 5% of Albanian girls. The Macedonian girls were also significantly higher (p < 0,01) and more obese than the Albanian girls. The pubertal stage was also more advanced in Macedonian girls. Most of the obese children who were included in the study reported increased consumption of fast food. Although in the past years obesity was not a problem in our country, it is becoming more severe with every year.